HOW GERMANE, MY DEAR

Transcription

1 HOW GERMANE, MY DEAR fervent. germane fortuitous grueling indulgent. vulnerable. profuse. superficial. uniform. listless. incessant. unobtrusive FERVENT adj. fuu ofstrong emotion; impassioned Meatloaf vents her anger infervent yowls when another cat invades our yard. The fervor of Meatloafs response to feline trespassers seems much louder at night, when we fervently wish she'd shut up. GERMANE adj. fining and appropriate; relevant; pertinent The Mark Twain quotes I like best aren't germane to my talk, so I can't use them. Our speech teacher always says, "Omit the extras and concentrate on the germane material when giving a brief talk." FORTIJITOUS adj. happening by chance; accidental Meatloaf stalks mice deliberately, but she also has her share offortuitous meetings. Happening upon a mouse is fortuitous not only for Meatloaf but also for the mouse, who would never have planned to meet a cat. GRUELING adj. demanding and exhausting; punishing, tiring In one grueling day, the newspaper staff washed over 400 cars to raise money for a new computer. At home later, exhausted but proud, I told the folks just how grueling a task it had been. INDULGENT adj. generous to a fault; lenient, not critical We've been too indulgent with Dude, and so he's badly spoiled. We've agreed to stop indulging him right now. As Shakespeare warned us, an indulgent person loves "not wisely but too well." VlIT..NERABLE adj. open to physical or mental damage or hurt Unaware of the word vulnerable as a kid, I still knew the feeling ofbeing open to attack from mean guys on the playground at recess. When you're vulnerable, you know you're without a good defense.

2 CIAUS/CLUD/CLUS = close, shut preclude--toforestau, hinder, avert, or prevent the stonn precluded our hike that rule precludes his joining recluse-a hermit; one living a solitary life a wealthy, eccentric recluse his withdrawn, reclusive life Also: exclude, exclusion, claustrophobia, include, inclusion PROFUSE adj. in great abundance; bountiful; lavish; lush The phrase "profuse apologies" describes a gushing flood of "I'm sorrys." During a tough wrestling match, my profuse perspiration is another kind of flood. Unfortunately, our county has a profusion of great high school wrestlers. SUPERFICIAL adj. On the sur:face, shallow; not deep, serious, or important; cursory, not thorough I got some superficial cuts from cleats in the last soccer game; fortunately, supeificial wounds nonnauy heal without causing trouble. In contrast, a superficial judgment is apt to cause lots of trouble. UNIFORM adj. consistent (as opposed to varied); the same I think uniformity of design, as in a row of identical houses or apartments, is boring. But at school I want consistency and faimess uniform attendance policies and uniform grading systems. POT/POSS = to be powerful or able potent-poweiful; effective or efficacious a potent remedy a potent idea an Eastern potentate (ruler) omnipotent-all-powerful omnipotent ruler the old Greek omnipotent gods Also: potential, possible, possess

3 USTLESS adj. lacking energy or enthusiasm; indifferent or languid; uncaring When we found Meatloaf staring at her food with dull, listless eyes, we knew she was sick. Any listlessness toward dinner on that cat's part is serious. When I had the flu, I remember feeling listless toward everything. INCESSANT adj. going on without interruption; unceasing; continuous En route to the vet's office, Meatloafs incessant yowling drove us bats. like many cats in a car, she cries continuously and pitifully-an incessant reminder that she never asked to go for a ride. UNOBTRUSIVE adj. not noticeable; inconspicuous; or, not aggressive Our pets Dude and Meatloaf don't know the word unobtrusive. Meatloaf thinks, why utter a dainty, unobtrusive mew when you can yowl? And Dude has spent his entire aggressive life seeking fights instead of being unobtrusive. MEMORYFIX To learn these new words, write each one on a sheet of paper. Also write a synonym or definition for each and say the words aloud as you work.

4 mui OR FALSI Read each sentence below to see if the words in this chapter are being used properly. Then mark T (true) or F (false) beside each sentence. 1. Ifyou've never really worked out at a health spa, the first experience is fun but a trifle grueling. 2. The painful twinges of out-of-shape muscles would be more acceptable if they were incessant. 3. His fondness for good company is only natural in a conftrmed recluse. 4. Because his diving is still weak after years of practice, I think his potential is limited in that sport. 5. When a highway becomes treacherous, officials often preclude travel until conditions improve.

5 6. A pertinent anecdote is one that is germane to the topic. 7. The girl's fervent plea to the vet to save her beloved pet raccoon moved us to tears. 8. A planned, organized meeting cannot be termed fortuitous. 9. Erratic guidelines are more helpful than uniform ones. 10. An unobtrusive tooth fairy is the most successful